Stargate SG-1: ''Heroes: Part 2''

Stargate: SG-1 has always had a little fun with its milestone episodes. The series' 100th episode, "Wormhole Extreme," was a hilarious sendup of the series, from the various conventions of the SG-1 universe to the people who produce the series. Regular viewers of the series might be expecting more of the same when they tune in for the 150th episode of the series, "Heroes, Part 2." After all, last week's episode, the setup for the 150th episode, had all of the sly in-jokes and humor that the fans of SG-1 have come to expect and the casual viewers find confusing.

In Part One, a reporter, Bregman, has been sent into the Cheyenne Mountain Stargate complex by the President and the Department of Defense to make an sort of "Why We Fight" video that chronicles the work of the Stargate teams. Not surprisingly, General Hammond and the rest of the staff aren't too thrilled about having to sit in front of a camera. O'Neill seems to spend a lot of time trying to avoid Bregman and his crew while Daniel Jackson and Major Carter gamely try to give interviews but don't seem to give Bregman the sort of material he's looking for.

Meanwhile, an SG (led by Adam Baldwin of Firefly)team gets pinned down on an alien world. After a call for help, SG-1 and other teams come to their aid, leaving Bregman and his crew in the dust as they deploy through the Stargate. A pretty standard episode, entertaining if not a standout. If you're expecting more of the same with Part Two, think again.

- MGM / Sci-Fi

Major Carter (Amanda Tapping) gives the eulogy for a fallen member of the Stargate team

Where "Heroes, Part One" eased the viewer into the usual comfort zone for the series, "Heroes, Part Two" kicks you right out of that zone with a boot to the solar plexus. The mission to save the SG team has gone horribly wrong with news of casualties filtering through to Bregman and his video crew. A key member of the SG team has been killed in the line of duty and the reactions of the survivors coupled with some heartbreaking footage from the mission make for a somber, thought-provoking hour. By the end of Part Two, even characters who would normally get a one-liner in are in a more thoughtful and somber frame of mind. It is an episode of the series that fans won't soon forget.